Making Allies
by Merci
Summary: Medicine Seller x Urahara Implied - The medicine seller has travelled far, finding a welcoming shopkeeper with some inside knowledge into setting restless spirits to rest.


**Title:** Making Allies**  
Author:** Merci**  
Characters:** Medicine Seller, Urahara**  
Rating:** G**  
Source:** Bleach and the Mononoke anime**  
Wordcount:** 928**  
Warnings:** Slashy hints (you blink, you miss them)**  
Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach or Mononoke, the Medicine Seller or Urahara. The story itself *does* belong to me. I am making no profit from this endeavour.**  
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**Summary:** The medicine seller has travelled far, finding a welcoming shopkeeper with some inside knowledge into setting restless spirits to rest.

**Notes:** This was written as a gift fic for Ered, inspired by an art she did on y!gallery (http://yaoi[dot]/view/391945). I just liked the idea of these two characters meeting, since they're _somewhat_ similar in what they do… they could get along!

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**Making Allies**

The steam of the bath filled the air; the water had been heated to a perfect temperature and mixed with salts and oils to give off a fragrant scent. The wooden floorboards were clean and warm and he stretched out along their surface, the light blue kimono falling off his shoulders to reveal a perfect expanse of soft, pale skin. He shifted slightly and turned his head to look out the window. It was autumn and the leaves were dying in a beautiful display of red, orange and yellow. The sun seemed to reflect this as well and was burning a hot red as it sank beneath the horizon.

He pressed the back of his arm to his forehead, shifting the indigo scarf that covered his head, though failed to hide the silvery locks that fell free and splayed out around him as he breathed in the thick, steamy air. How long had it been since he had found a place like this? His mouth curled up a bit revealing sharp fangs. How long had it been since he had met someone like this eccentric shopkeeper who knew about quelling restless spirits, as he did?

"My my! Do you always laze about before getting into the bath?"

He moved his arm to peek out through red-lined eyes at the man who had spoken. The shopkeeper stood in the doorway with his fan drawn to cover his mouth. The medicine seller remembered other men who used fans to disguise lies and half-truths. His light eyes flicked over the fan before dismissing any thoughts of deception. There were no restless or vengeful spirits there, just tired souls.

The shopkeeper had said nothing about any of his clothing or makeup or even inhuman features. He had instead invited him into his shop and given him a place to rest, offered him a bath and food, all with a gleeful smirk and no request for compensation.

"It has… been a while since I've relaxed like this," he sighed, "I was enjoying the air before slipping into the water."

The man in green made a questioning sound and shut the door behind him. He kicked off his sandals and kneeled beside round, wooden tub that was set just below the level of the floor. He skimmed his fingers across the steaming surface and sighed, "I thought my little helpers had made a mistake and boiled the water too hot for you. Luckily, it is the perfect temperature now."

The red accents around his eye danced as he arched a brow. "You never asked for payment for your hospitality."

"Of course not!" the blond shrugged, whipping the fan out again and covering his smile.

"Are you…" he began, unsure how to phrase his question. "Seeking payment now?"

"What ever do you mean?" he feigned innocence well, but he moved with the grace of a fox to sit beside the half-naked medicine seller. "I only wanted to share some welcome hospitality for a fellow slayer of beasts."

"Beasts?" he looked incredulously at the other man. "Do you know what I am, what I do?"

"Not too dissimilar from a shinigami," he quickly answered, as if he had been waiting for the question. "At least, that's my theory on the matter," he continued, "we both put souls to rest, those which are reckless enough to appear in this world, anyways. And oh boy is it tough work too!"

The medicine seller blinked and sat up, his robes falling further off his body. He tightened his jaw, feeling his lips draw back over his fangs as he processed this information. "I… see."

"Well, I should let you get back to relaxing, then," the shinigami hummed and quickly stood. "That water will get cold if you leave it any longer, and I think you will feel much better afterwards." He turned with a flick of his fan and left. Once the door snapped shut behind him did the medicine seller relaxed his jaw.

He climbed to his feet; the blue robe remained on the floor behind him as he stepped over to the water and dipped his toe across the surface of the steaming liquid. A surge of pleasure coursed over his skin and he stepped in, allowing the oils to roll over his body as the water enveloped his form. The heat seemed to wrap him in relief and knotted muscles began to relax. He rested his head against the edge of the tub and sighed. It was beginning to make sense: the reasons why the shop had drawn him in like a moth to a flame and why the merchant had invited him in so quickly. He was surprised to find someone like this shinigami holed up like this in the human world, since he thought they all lived in another dimension. His last encounter with one had been fleeting and long ago, a fight over who would bury the violent spirit that had been bothering the daughter of a noble family. The black robed spirit had called it a hollow, and the medicine seller had watched as the foolish shinigami was nearly killed (revealing the mononoke's true form in the process).

This merchant, however, was not foolish. The medicine seller might even wager that he would know the difference between a hollow and mononoke if the opportunity arose to compare them. He could become a valuable ally for exchanging information or supplies at the very least. He sighed and sank deeper into the water, even an ally with just a tub was a valuable one.


End file.
